Bead-chain.



W. W. BRADLEY.

BEAD CHAIN.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1912.

L5, 1 3% Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

purine s'rnrus rn runr WILLIAM w. BRA LEY, or wnrnnnun counnorroo'r, assrsuon or one-name 'ro WILLIAM L. nay, or sraacosn, ivuw romp Benn-snafu.

specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 12, 1912. Serial No. 670,755.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. BRAD- LEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bead-Chains, which improvements are fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to improvements in chains, and particularly chains of that class commonly known, by reason of the same comprising flexibly united globulous or spherical members, as bead-chains; and its object is to provide a bead-chain which shall be-durable, attractive in appearance, characterized by the utmost flexibility, and which shall possess certain well-defined advantages over prior analogous devices.

The inventionconsists in the details and parts whereby, together with the novel disposition and relative arrangement of said parts, the attainment of the foregoing object is rendered practicable, all of which will be hereinafter more specifically referred to and set forth in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference-numerals denote like parts throughout the respective views, as to which: I

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a beadchain embodying my said improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of my improved chain, the section being taken diametrically through the several spherical members thereof. Fig. 3 is the body of one of said stems and the scale being still further enlarged.

In the fabrication of so-called beadchains, it has been the practice to unite the spherical members thereof by means of conpecting stems, eachof which is provided at ts opposite end-portions with an annular shoulder continuously encircling the body thereof. This, whether the working face of said shoulder be flattened at right angles, or rounded or flattened at an inclination, to the axis of the body of said stern, all as heretofore proposed, is bbjectionable, for the reason that, the continuous shoulder being made use of, the diameter of the opening by way ofwhicheach connecting stem enters either of the spherical members cooperating therewith being kept within limits proper to insure the most attractive appearance of the completed chain, and the latter being tautened, as under a substantial pull lengthwise thereof, deflection of any of the stems made use of, in any direction whatsoever,

relatively to either of the spherical members cooperating therewith, and hence the general flexibility of the completed chain, will be limited, not alone to the excess of diameter of the opening aforenamed over the diameter of the stem lying therein, but largely and more seriously by the shoulder aforenamed, the latter impinging against "the inner face of the wall of the spherical member coiiperat-ing with such stem, adjacent to the opening formed in said member, and exerting thereon an adverse leverage which, the attempt to deflect the chain being coritinued, will not onlytend to unduly enlarge said opening, thus working against the at tractiveness-of the appearance of the chain as a completed article, but to enlar e the same sufficiently to permit the withdrawal of said stem therefrom, thereby, and alwa s to the disadvantage of'the user, severing t e chain. I purpose to overcome the foregoing objection to prior analogous chains. Again, in assembhng the parts of prior analogous chains, much difiiculty necessaril attends the handling of the stock from whic the separate connecting stems are termed,

Patented aa-n. as, rare.

v by a mechanism which may be designed to common practice,

so ated,

that end. I purpose, also, to overcome this objectionable feature of prior analogous chains.

In carrying out my invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, I make use of a plurality of hollow, approximately spherical members 2, spun or drawn to form, each from an appropriate blank of thin .metal, or other suitable material, as in said spherical members being flexibly united, each to its adjacent neighbor, at either side thereof, by means of a connecting stem 3. These stems are formed from stock, primarily in the form of wire of an appropriate gage; and in the preparation of said stocketo this end, the same is oppositely with the axis thereof, and at suitable intervals therealong, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. During the foregoing flattening operation, whereby opposite flattened faces are formed, the material under pressure is forced or expanded laterally, thereby resulting in the formation of .opposite segmental shoulders 4:, at the opposite extremities of each of the surfaces thus flattened, said shoulders being each not only curved away from the axis of said stock, but

by preference provided with an edge surface more or less rounded from one to the other of the flattened faces aforenamed. Also, and by preference, during said flattening operation, the flattened ortions of the stock, each midway the length thereof, and as at the points 5, are nearly but not completely severed. In assembling the parts of my improved chain, each of the members 2 is drawn up or spun into a hollow, spherical form, around said stock, previously prepared as hereinbefore described, and in a manner to embrace within its interior one of the flattened portions, aforenamed, thereof, and llkewise the respective segmental shoulders adjacent thereto. Then, under due manipulation of the parts thus assembled, the stock aforenamed may be completely severed at the points 5; whereupon the stems 3, thus become yleldingly locked, each wlthin the'spherical member at either endportionrthereof, and a bead-chain, durable,

attractive in a pearance and of greatl enhanced flexibility, is forined. y

'the nature of a shoulder,

flattened, under pressure, parallel,

latter being,

Attention is here called to the fact that a deflecting strain applied to any of the stems 8 at any angle between the opposite segmental shoulders thereof, will result in a much greater deflection of said stem relatively to either of the spherical members 00 operating therewith, and accordingly insure a much greater general flexibility of the completed chain, than where a shoulder continuously encircling the stem is employed; this, for the reason that there is nothing in at either side of said stem and between the opposite segmental shoulders thereof, to impinge against the wall of the adjacent spherical member. Further, when the segmental shoulders are used and rounded transversely, as hereinbefore explained, the same have, each, approximately a point contact with the wall of the spherical member cooperating therewith, which still further enhances the degree to which any of the stems 3 may be deflected relatively to the spherical member cooperating herewith. Still further, the flattened heads or faces of the stems 3 which I make use of, insure marked facility and convenience in the .handling of the same, whether by manual effort,- or a mechanism specially designed for the purpose, since a holding force may be more readily applied to a flattened surface than to a rounded one.

It will be seen that my improved beadchain is well adapted for the purposes for which it is intended,.and that the same may be modified to some extent, particularly as regards the employment of ,one or more flattened faces at the respective end-portions of each of the stems aforenamed, the rounding of the segmental shoulders aforenamed. or either of them, transversely, and other minor details of the general construction, without materially departing from the spirit and principle of my invention.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a bead-chain consisting of a plurality of hollow, spherical members flexibly united successively by means of connecting stems, the latter being, suitable point therealong and afiordin isegmental shoulders at the opposite en -portions thereof, the segmental shoulder at either end-portion of said stem being adapted to engage the inner face of the wall of the spherical "member immediately cooperating therewith. I

2. As a new article of manufacture, a bead-chain consisting of a plurality of hollow, spherical members flexibly united successively by means of connecting stems, the

each oppositely flattened longitudinally, at the opposite end-portions thereof, and affording, at said opposite end-portions, respectively, opposlte segmental each reduced diametricallyj at a shoulders, the shoulders at either end-porshoulders at said opposite end-portions, tion of saifd StGIIfl lifing silldagteg t0-1ngagela respectively. teinner aceotewa Otesperica memberimmediately coiiperating therewith; WILLIAM BRADLEY 5 3. For a bead-chain, a connecting stem Witnesses:

flattened longitudinally at the opposite end- CHAS. H. Essnx, portions thereof, and affording segmental v 3 Josnrn C. Gmmm. 

